


In This Life

by starfoolery



Category: Notting Hill (1999)
Genre: F/M, Through the Years, short but sweet
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-16
Updated: 2018-12-16
Packaged: 2019-09-19 21:54:11
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,142
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17009910
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/starfoolery/pseuds/starfoolery
Summary: She only intended to marry once, and even though it happens, Bella never really believes it.





	In This Life

**Author's Note:**

  * For [lyricalnights](https://archiveofourown.org/users/lyricalnights/gifts).



Max found her alone sitting at the hotel bar. He doesn’t say anything at first, just gestures to the bartender to pour her another drink. Bella felt it more than she saw him do such, but she had known him for awhile. She knew how he operated. Rather she just stared at her reflection in the bar mirror.

“So you really did it,” he said as she put the glass of gin and tonic to her lips and savored the slight burn as the alcohol slid down her throat.

“Had to,” she said finally.

“William is bloody heartbroken about it,” Max said, “I suppose I should tell you off. Being I am his best friend and all.”

“He’ll get over it,” she said, still refusing to turn and look at him.

“I would ask whether you would reconsider, but judging by that rather sour expression on your face, your mind’s made up then I take it.”

She nodded.

“He’ll thank me for it one day. He’ll meet a girl that totally knocks those floppy socks off his feet and then be ridiculously happy for the rest of his life. Of course he’ll have a disastrous first marriage first,” she said.

“Oh really,” Max said.

“Oh yes, why do you think I ended it,” Bella said, “you, see I plan marry for life.”

He smiled at her.

“Well in that case, I can just keep you company,” he said.

“You sure?” she asked, “I wouldn’t want to come between you and William.”

“He’ll get over it,” he said. “So what do you think she’ll be like?”

“Who, William’s ex-wife or the love of his life?” she asked.

“Love of his life. I always wondered what sort of woman he would end up with since I now know it won’t be you,” he said.

“I bet she’ll be American,” Bella said.

“I’ll take that bet,” Max said, and to be honest Bella didn’t remember much else from the conversation after that.

 

  
They don’t get together right away. Bella wouldn’t even admit that she liked him for the longest. But when things were meant to be, they were meant to be. And so he took her back to her small flat in one of the shadier parts of London and she had invited him up for a quick nightcap. They commiserated over their mutual dislike of William’s soon-to-be wife (or future ex-wife they joked). And when he got up to leave, she made her move and kissed him, dry and short but sweet.

They kept it quiet for awhile out of respect for William, but not as long as they planned, as the feelings and their obvious affection was difficult to hide. But it was all well and good.

They barely make a year when Max proposes.

“It may be a bit presumptuous of me,” he said, “being that you have made it quite clear that you only plan to marry once. And I am just a poor bloke who just barely managed to make his mother happy, but Bell, I must say if….”

“Yes,” she said and she doesn’t think much on it.

 

 

The doctors haven’t spoken to her yet, but when Max comes into the room, she knows that he was told. She doesn’t just ask though.

“You won’t have to be here much longer,” he said, “I’ve brought tidings from the others.”

She nodded and waited but he didn’t say anything. She finally broke the silence, not able to hold back and just tired of everyone dancing around it.

“I’m not walking again, am I?” she said, more than asked.

Max looked down. She heard the ‘No’ in her head, he didn’t have to say it. Neither of them ever had to say things. They could. Bella could always tell.

“I looked at a few cottages,” Max said, “they further out of the city, but the commutes wouldn’t be too bad…”

“We’re not giving up our flat,” Bella said, “not because I had to go and fall due to a chipped marble tile.”

He doesn’t argue with her.

“Well that is easier, I always hated moving,” he said, even though they both knew that it wasn’t true.

“It’s alright, you know,” she said, staring at him intently.

“What is?” he asked.

“You could leave,” she said, “I wouldn’t blame you.”

He doesn’t believe her, but she’s serious.

“I thought when you married it would be for life,” he said.

“Things change,” she said.

He doesn’t smile but he moves to the hospital bed.

“Well unfortunately for you, I made up my mind that I would only be married once, so nice try,” he said, “but I’m afraid you’re stuck with me.”

She laughed, for the first time since the accident.

“What ever am I to do now?” she asked.

“It’s all right,” he said, “I’ll carry you wherever you need me to.”

“Just the bedroom would be fine,” Bella said.

“Besides, we still have that bet on whether William will marry an American,” Max said.

“I’ll win in the end,” she said.

He agreed.

 

  
Everyone had finally left, and they laid in bed and staring at the ceiling.

“Did William really bring Anna Fucking Scott into our house tonight?” Bella asked, almost to herself as well as Max. Though it had been so many years, that talking to Max was just as if it was a conversation with herself.

“Well you said it was going to be an American,” Max said.

Bella rolled her eyes.

“She just came for dinner. He isn’t going to marry her,” Bella said, “besides doesn’t she have a boyfriend. That actor that was in that one thing?”

She heard Max chuckle.

“I don’t know, he seemed rather smitten,” Max said.

“I mean who would ever think that William Thacker would make it with a Hollywood actress?” Bella said.

“Stranger things have happened,” Max said.

A silence falls over the room.

“I’m just saying,” Max said, “I never thought that would be lucky enough to marry you. And the hardest parts over. She came into our house with a bunch of absolute fuck ups and didn’t run screaming.”

She laughed.

“I like her,” Bella said, “and not just because she’s famous. I would say it would be alright if you left me for her.”

“I would never dream of it,” Max said, “why do you keep trying to get rid of me.”

“I don’t know,” she said and she ran her hand under the covers until she found his hand.

“I guess I just imagined that I would never be so lucky.”

She felt him roll closer to her and press his lips to her forehead.

“Well, you can count yourself lucky. Because you’ll see. You won our little bet tonight.”

And they both laughed into the each other, into their dreams, and the rest of their lives.


End file.
